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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27699082">Talking Makes Things Easier (and so does tea)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CobraOnTheCob/pseuds/CobraOnTheCob'>CobraOnTheCob</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Zutara Week 2019 [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Post-War, Prompt: Easier, The Fire Lord has fallen in love with the Ambassador!, Zutara Week 2019, did the Ambassador fall in love with the Fire Lord?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 03:40:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,521</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27699082</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CobraOnTheCob/pseuds/CobraOnTheCob</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Being the Fire Lord and Ambassador aren't easy jobs, especially not when people are shoving political matches to the Fire Lord and the Ambassador has other relationships to deal with.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katara &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Zutara Week 2019 [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1446184</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Talking Makes Things Easier (and so does tea)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Unlike yesterday's, I did take the time to comb through and make the lore more ambiguous and less "I'm going to grab a bunch of cultures and shove them into the Fire Nation" because that just feels weird to me. 2019 me was like "let's make a blender of cultures!" and 2020 me is like "if any anti sees this, i'm going to die. so no thanks"</p><p>ahahaha not me throwing in some biTara though. I wish I finished my Shattered prompt last year, I could've had biTara sitting on Ao3 already.</p><p>Anyways my writing last year was when a scene flipped, the character PoV changes.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Katara is tired. </p><p>    She loved being an Ambassador. She really did.</p><p>    But trying to negotiate a fair deal with the Fire Nation without raising the ire of the Earth Kingdom - that was a part of her job she hated.</p><p>    She really needed to lie down. Maybe a good soak in the <i>onsen</i> could help.</p><p>    Of course the Southern Water Tribe can't offer much, they were decimated during the war! Yes, the Fire Nation reparations helped them gain enough funds build two cities, the coastal city Uukkarnit and the more inland capital city of Inuksuk, but having enough resources to trade with both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom while maintaining their growing population? The Earth Kingdom Ambassadors had a field day with that. </p><p>    Katara regretted the day when Zuko decided that one Earth Kingdom Ambassador wasn't enough to cover the entirety of the Earth Kingdom. So he asked for a region or major city to send in an Ambassador for each of them, and that multiplied Katara's headache.</p><p>    Katara grumpily thought back to two weeks ago, the last time she and her girlfriend were on friendly terms.</p><p>    <i>Oh yeah, Katara, totally GREAT idea to date another Ambassador. Not like you have to fight her over the interests of your tribe one day.</i></p><p>    Katara needed a hug. Or maybe a good hard drink. </p><p>    And the first option came around the corner.</p><p>    The Fire Lord.</p><p>    Thank the spirits.</p><p>    Without thinking, she lunged, tackling him in a hug as the guards yelped, ready to attack before she heard Zuko's chest rumble with assurances that Katara wasn't an assassin.</p><p>    "Hey you," Zuko said, as Katara pulled away, "You alright?"</p><p>    "I'm beginning to regret agreeing with your 'let's have every region and city in the Earth Kingdom have an Ambassador! Definitely won't stress out that Ambassadors of nations who are unified!'" Katara said. Zuko stared at her long and hard.</p><p>    "Can I make amends for that poor decision over tea?" Zuko asked. Katara blinked, and raised her brows.</p><p>    "Of course, Tea Lord Iroh, just let me know the time," Katara said.</p><p>    "Tea lord?! Oh by the sun spirits, I'm turning into Uncle." Zuko groaned, and hearing Katara giggle, he mock-glared at her. "How about now?"</p><p>    "Now? Well, my afternoon is clear, so I guess now is good." Katara said. Zuko beckoned to a guard.</p><p>    "Tell some servants to prep a tea room for Ambassador Katara and I," he ordered. The guard bowed, then hastened away.</p>
<hr/><p>"So, tell me about your headache?" Zuko asked. Katara sipped her tea gently before setting it down on the table.</p><p>    "These Earth Kingdom Ambassadors clearly don't understand that the Southern Water Tribe doesn't have as much to offer in comparison to them. Our people are slowly repopulating, and resources are hard to come by to properly sustain our growing population. That's why we're opening trade with the Fire Nation. Furs to the regions who experience ice and snow, meat to the impoverished towns. But the Earth Kingdom Ambassadors were angry because we weren't doing the same for them. The Earth Kingdom isn't united, and is much bigger than the Fire Nation. Trying to trade in a sustainable manner with the Earth Kingdom is like putting out a burning palace with a bucket of water. Doesn't help when my ex-girlfriend is also one of the Earth Kingdom Ambassadors." Katara griped, her hands fisting in the skirt part of her tropical ocean blue <i>yukata</i>. Zuko raised a brow.</p><p>    "You've been holding that in for two weeks?" Zuko asked. Katara raised her brows.</p><p>    "Since I've gotten that off my chest, how about you? I know that every other day, someone tries to shove their daughter at you." Katara responded.</p><p>    "Sometimes it's a granddaughter. All these Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation nobles want me to wed already, preferably their daughter. I'm only twenty years old, I don't want to think of a family now! It's been four years since the war ended, do these nobles think I want to bring a wife, much less a child, into all this chaos?!" Zuko ranted. Katara blinked.</p><p>    "You didn't mention the Northern Water Tribe," Katara said. Zuko nearly choked on his tea.</p><p>    "They didn't want to push any at me because they weren't as affected as badly as the other nations," Zuko said cautiously, "They don't push for more monetary reparations, despite the fact that the Fire Nation invasion not only killed hundreds of warriors, but also caused the death of Princess Yue, may the sun spirits keep her warm, some claimed that money was nice, but it didn't prove that the Fire Nation was willing to change. Instead, they wanted for me to marry someone from the Earth Kingdom, the Southern Water Tribe, or the Air Nations."</p><p>    "Oh. And how do the Fire Nation nobles take that?"</p><p>    "Some are still stuck in their 'the Fire Nation is superior' belief and want me to marry one of their 'purebred daughters' because sun spirits forbid that I marry someone who's not a 'child of the sun' or whatever pile of Komodo Rhino droppings they come up with next," Zuko grumbled. Katara merely sipped her tea, her polar ocean blue eyes partially lidded as she watched his face. </p><p>    "If you could choose who to marry, who would it be?" Katara asked calmly. Zuko nearly choked on his tea again.</p><p>    <i>You. You understand everything. Not some Fire Nation girl who is pushed towards me by their father or grandfather just so that their family can move up in status, not some Earth Kingdom girl who would not be able to withstand the fire of this court, for our women are just as deadly, if not more so, than the men. Our women are raised to be ferocious like a dragon or a tiger, Earth Kingdom noble women are raised to be pretty flowers and heir bringers. Air Warrior girls could theoretically navigate this court of tigers and dragons, but they are more suited for battle, not for politics. Air Nomad girls would never understand this culture, especially a culture bathed in blood and ash. You, Katara, of all the women in the world, understand me, you fought by my side, but these years as Ambassador has trained you to be a wolf among dragons and tigers, and you understand me. As Fire Lady, you could do so much more, but only if you choose to.</i></p><p>    "I honestly don't know. I just want someone who can stand their ground against any opponent in a court, but also someone who can fight. Someone who cares about the people and fight for them. Someone who can soothe, but also strike." Zuko said. <i>I want you</i> was unsaid.</p><p>    "I hope you can find her," Katara said. Did he just describe me? Katara wondered. As much as her heart jumped when Zuko was within her vicinity, she was still in the throes of heartache. </p><p>    "I have. But I don't know if she likes me back. Or if she'll ever do." Zuko said, looking down at his tea. <i>She'll never love me. She just broke up with Cai Hong, and by the time she moves on, I'll have more suitors shoved at me. I don't want her to draw their ire, and besides, I'd have to ask for her to give up being an Ambassador. The Fire Nation council is getting used to her.</i></p><p>   "Alright, spill it. You like me, don't you?" Katara asked, merely taking a sip of her tea, as Zuko finally choked on his tea. Spluttering, he attempted to wipe off the tea, but Katara merely moved her arm and pulled the tea out of his robe and off the table, and gracefully dropped it back into the tea cup. </p><p>    "I'm sorry," Zuko said, not looking up. </p><p>    "Don't be. It's alright. I know that you don't want to cross any lines because of my recent break-up with Cai Hong, but it's alright. I know Aang's still not over me." Katara chuckled. Zuko gathered the courage to look up.</p><p>    "He's not?"</p><p>    "Nope. I thought having a girlfriend would give him the hint that I'm not interested, but you know how he is. Secretly as stubborn as an earthbender."</p><p>    "He's no firebender."</p><p>    "Anyways, now that the cat is out of the sack, all I say is that I'm going to need a little more time and space, no, you're not invading, it's perfectly fine," Katara said, quickly cutting off Zuko before he can apologize, "I just...I don't want to be jumping back into the dating pool so soon. Maybe one day. Who knows." </p><p>    "Oh, alright," Zuko said, "It was nice having tea with you, Ambassador Katara." He and Katara quickly cleaned up, ensuring that the servants would have an easy time carrying it back to the kitchens. </p><p>    "Thank you, Zuko. It was nice talking to you." Katara said, pulling him into a hug. Zuko easily melted into the hug, able to read her intentions and her movements, just like all those years ago, fighting side by side. They parted ways, their steps lighter than when they began.</p><p>    And back into the world of politics.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And I have finally finished Zutara Week 2019! Onto my other events ahahahaha :'''D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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